This paper was written to illustrate how the landscape of Paris is shaped not solely by political forces, but also by the awareness and acceptance of the citizens of Paris. The case of the glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum is used to illustrate this process. When the pyramid was planned, the citizens themselves participated in a heated discussion on its construction. Now, more than a decade later, the pyramid is considered an emblem of the museum. By analysis of the controversy over the pyramid, we can consider how contemporary French society initially interpreted and eventually accepted a new artifact in the landscape of Paris.
During the initial controversy, and also after construction, some critics called the project a mark of the despotism of the man who initiated the Louvre remodeling project, President Francois Mitterrand. However, it does not clarify the important questions about this controversy: which concept of the landscape of Paris conflicted with the glass pyramid, and how was the new building accepted nevertheless? To answer these questions, this paper analyzes the arguments about the symbolism and the harmony of the new landscape that were raised in the controversy.
The arguments about the symbolism concerned the urban space of Paris and the shape of the pyramid. The spatial centrality of the Louvre in Paris was seriously considered. Under that condition, the interpretation of the “Egyptian” shape of the pyramid was always negative. It reflected a prejudiced, exclusionary frame of mind advocating a heterogeneous culture. The arguments about the harmony of the landscape concerned the Louvre and the material of the pyramid. The Louvre was interpreted as a “palace.” It paradoxically suggested that the Louvre has played important roles in the history of modern France. The interpretation of the material of the pyramid emphasized its “transparence.” It led to discrétion, meaning an absolute respect for the history that the Louvre had witnessed.
This analysis allows us to consider the origin of the controversy. The Louvre was regarded as a symbol of the Republic, because of its history in the liberation during the Revolution. The Louvre Museum itself has functioned as a representation of French culture, in terms of collecting worldwide art works, interpreting them, and exhibiting them in the order which is required in French society. The glass pyramid was planned not only in the historical place, but also in the mythic place of the establishment of France. Accordingly, the origin of the dispute appears to be whether the new building intruded on “French culture.”
How was the new landscape accepted after that? To deny the interpretation of “something foreign, ” the people who consented to the construction cited historical facts that justified the pyramid. The opponents of the project countered by quoting historical facts in their own arguments. As a consequence, the glass pyramid was linked to many reference points in French culture. In the background of the acceptance of a new landscape in Paris, there was an acquisition of cultural legitimacy.

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The suburbanization of office location has been progressing in the metropolitan Tokyo since the latter half of the 1980s. Theoretically, when office functions are positioned in the suburbs as opposed to in the central business district (CBD), it becomes possible to establish a work-home relationship wherein people “live and work in the suburbs.” However, no empirically based, detailed analysis has been conducted on the nature of the impact of suburbanization on the selection of residential districts by employees within existing research.
The present study comprises an analysis of data collected from a questionnaire survey focusing on residential selection behavior during the relocation of office, which targeted the suburban cores of the former Omiya City, Makuhari New City, and Yokohama Minato Mirai 21, where comparatively smooth progress has been made in the suburbanization of office location. The results obtained can be summarized as follows.
When office functions are positioned in the suburbs, many employees change their place of residence, which culminates in the proactive establishment of work-home relationships wherein people “live and work in the suburbs.” Nevertheless, our analysis confirmed that the formation of a contiguous relationship between work and home, in other words, the work-home proximity effect, is dependent upon the life stage of individual employees at the time they are ordered to relocate.
Notwithstanding the above, the changes in residence occurring upon relocation to the suburbs furnish employees with the opportunity to become homeowners, and there is a pronounced tendency among employees in Makuhari New City in particular to become homeowners at a young age. A number of reasons for this can be cited. 1) A large number of houses have been supplied in cheaper price zones located more than 40km from center of Tokyo. 2) Commuting remains feasible even if such employees purchase houses in cheaper price zones located more than 40km from center of Tokyo, which forms the source of commuting headaches for people employed in the CBD. 3) Such employees, who are transferred less frequently than sales workers, belong to the information-related divisions of major corporations.

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The purpose of this study is to examine puffer (tiger puffer, ocellated puffer) aquaculture and its exports from China and the imports and handling in Japan. This should help explain the details of puffer distribution and examine the spatial structure of fishery product distribution.
Producers in China began the aquaculture business of puffers in 1994. In 2000, about 1000 tons of Chinese puffers were exported to Japan. The aquaculture businesses are located in north China areas such as the Yellow Sea and Sea of Bohai. Chinese fish breeders began their business of puffer aquaculture to earn large profits since puffers are sold at high prices. Chinese puffer aquaculture has achieved mass production and low density by different methods from Japanese aquaculture, for example, the use of breeding rooms to pass the cold winters and the utilization of ponds where shrimp were previously cultured. It is necessary to take countermeasures to reduce the oversupply in the market owing to the expansion of production. Since consuming puffers is currently prohibited in China, free transactions of the sale and consumption of puffers are expected in the future as well as the establishment of domestic markets.
Today, low-cost puffers aquacultured in China are acknowledged as a new factor in puffer distribution. The areas that import puffers have been expanding overseas, and the users and consumers of puffers include all types of people. The target size of puffers varies depending on the size individual consumers prefer for cooking. This type of demand for selling and consuming puffers has become a major factor regulating the distribution structure, the actions of its elements and the interrelations of such elements. Cultured fish transactions, the introduction of puffers to the food culture, and the intermediations of cultured fish transactions by marketing wholesalers are also recognized.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify changes in the local labor market in connection with changes that evolved in employment of the construction industry in peripheral regions after the late 1990s. The study area is Nishi-usuki in Miyazaki Prefecture. Since the 1970s, a number of construction companies have been located in this area due to increasing public investment. However, it is expected that the local labor market has been affected recently by changes in public investment and the regulations governing construction companies. The author discusses the following points: 1) the changes in public investment and the regulations governing construction companies after the late 1990s; 2) changes in the employment strategies of construction companies; and 3) the expansion of business sections other than engineering-works business. The results are summarized as follows.
Since the late 1990s, public investment has tended to decline, the labor unit price in public works has dropped sharply, and the demand for engineers has tended to increase. Because of these changes, construction companies have reduced the number of their production labor workers and made working conditions worse in this area.
During 1995-2000, the number of employed persons 60 years of age and older and women decreased markedly in the construction industry. Recently, the number of male employed 50 to 59 years of age has also decreased. On the other hand, young engineers have increased in number. These are the main influences of the change in the public investment policy affecting the labor market in this area during and after the late 1990s.
The construction companies that expanded sections other than engineering-works business in the late 1990s increased in number. However, the expanded sections were mainly related to public works, such as pipe construction business. The construction companies that expanded sections other than those related to public works and increased the number of workers were few in number.

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